Debris riding behind trucks and trailers

[MotoGirl]

When I travel behind utes, trucks and trailers, it always amazes me how much crap blows off them and into my path. I briefly followed a ute full of lawn clippings today and an empty fertiliser truck that travelled without the cover fitted over the back of it.

I couldn't stay behind them because the wind catches their load and blows it straight into us. Not only could these materials damage our bikes, the flying debris stings you in the neck and even gets in your eyes when your visor is shut.

Has anyone else noticed this too?

I just pass those vehicles, after all, that's what I've got a throttle for. :done:

[The Lone Rider]

I think part of the problem is that they kick up all the dirt and stuff thats on the road!

[Macktheknife]

Never get to close to those things, you never know what is going to come off the back. I have seen large lumps of wood and metal come flying through the air and worse things too, stay away, then pass when you are safe.

[MotoGirl]

I think part of the problem is that they kick up all the dirt and stuff thats on the road!

But so do we, e.g. when you go through roadworks, you only need to give the throttle a quick squirt to shower the following car with stones :innocent:

[owner]

pass my truck with caution, a s26 tegal chicken@4 meters high can dump a hell of a load :Oops:......up to two meters around my truck:bleh:

[Daffyd]

No cover on a fertiliser truck, or a trailer load of grass clippings?
That's insecure loading. *555 them!

[The Lone Rider]

But so do we, e.g. when you go through roadworks, you only need to give the throttle a quick squirt to shower the following car with stones :innocent:

Yes but those trucks and things kick up regardless of what the driver is doing

[F5 Dave]

One ex girlfriend was nearly hit on her bike by a spare wheel falling off the back of a Transit. Another found a couch in the middle of an unlit section of motorway, fortunately avoiding it. People who don't cover their loads or tie them down need to be scuppered with a garden fork.

Don't even start me on those wankers spilling diesel out of council buses or the pillocks with stock trucks that spill shit all over the road or people following them. :Oi:

[klingon]

Going over the harbour bridge the other day behind an "empty" gravel truck and great chunks of rock were flying off in all directions, over both the clipon lanes. I slowed down to put some distance between the truck and me and got tailgated by some impatient moron. Couldn't they see the rocks flying all around them?! :oi-grr:

Definitely a traffic hazard. If I hadn't been so busy trying to avoid the stones, I would have got the truck's number & *555'd it when I got to work. Missed opportunity.

[Cache Wraith]

I avoid travelling behind trucks and trailers at all costs. I'll pass or back right off or even let a vehicle get between me and the truck. A friend of mine was following a truck the other day (in a cage) and a large roll of pink batts came off and just missed her. Imagine that hitting your bike.

[obstacle]

I was trying to figure out why there was so much crap on the motorway from st lukes to waterview yesterday. i pretty quickly caught up to a car towing a trailer with some house demolition stuff in it crawling int he slow lane. Nothin was tied down, i guess they assumed the cage on the trailer would stop the crap flying out. They looked pretty sheepish so I guess they knew they were not being so helpful to other road users.

[ozrobo]

yeah i like to get past trailers quickly ecspecially the lawn ones kills my asthma

[Conquiztador]

I just love riding behind full cattle trucks...

[Defiant]

I was following a curtain sider one day and a helicopter skid type thing slid of the back, I darted for the right lane and missed it but the sorry guy behind me in another truck wasnt so lucky, I was just glad i had checked the lane next to me e second or so before it happened getting ready to pass or i would have had nowhere to go.......always be aware of the lanes around you in case you need to use them in a hurry.....lol..

[Ocean1]

Once upon a time I was damn near brained by a brick. It had become lodged between the dual tyres on a truck and thrown out once up to motorway speed. Ever since I've been a bit watchful of dual tyres, tend to stay out of direct line behind.

[MotoGirl]

Going over the harbour bridge the other day behind an "empty" gravel truck and great chunks of rock were flying off in all directions, over both the clipon lanes.

These are exactly the type of idiots I find myself having to pass.

[BarryG]

How about a fuk'n ladder!!! Going home after work a couple of weeks ago, in the HOV (outside) lane of our Interstate 95, 65 mph, following a big BMW, JUST had time to move a few inches off my path and miss a bloody 12' aluminium ladder lying lengthwise (luckily) in the road! My front tyre did just clip it, I heard it, and pulled off at the next exit to see the damage, of which there was none. I shudder to think what a few inches to the left would have wrought.
I stopped a bit further up the highway when I saw a Highway Patrol car on the side of the road, to tell him there would likkey be a report of carnage on the road behind me in a few minutes, as there's no way the ladder would have stayed there without somebody hitting it.
As someone said, the asshole who dropped it would have been completely oblivious at the consequences of their carelesness. I'd strangle the bastards, I really would.
Be careful out there.
Cheers
Barry

[Conquiztador]

A few years back I was travelling back from PN in the night to Napier. It was a little foggy. Came up to a bridge and as I went over it there was a pile of broken planks on the road. Managed to evade it all. Turned around to pick it off the road so nobody else would hit it. That's when I noticed that it was from the railing of the bridge... There was a car on its side in the river lights still on. I stopped a car, asked them to ring police and ambulance, and ran down to the water and got in. Under the car a guy was pinned. A police car turned up and we managed to turn the car and get the guy out. But he was a goner. Turns out that the police was on the look for him as he had filled his car and left w/o paying at the nearby petrol station. And he had been far from sober...

[F5 Dave]

I saw a hilarious thing the other day, some chap had left Parapine or wherever with a trailer of quite sturdy posts, maybe 100 x 100. They were real long, 5 or so metres, so obviously would stick far out the back of his trailer, unbalancing it. So his brilliant idea was to open the back of the station-wagon & slide them forward into the back.

OK so top marks for tying them on pretty well, but erm, what happens when you want to turn a sharp corner? :confused:

He was about to turn off the motorway (wood place in pretty much a straight line behind him), sadly I was going ahead & he was in a queue, but I can imagine his surprise as the wood tries to lever it’s way through the back of his car.:shit:

[Swoop]

Going home after work a couple of weeks ago, in the HOV (outside) lane of our Interstate 95, 65 mph,... Barry
Hey, Barry. A silly question if I may?
HOV lanes in Florida and the USA. Are bikes legally allowed to use these?
Just interested since NZ is slowly coming into the 19th century and installing some here. Our rule-makers like to make things difficult for bikers though...

Interested to hear about the US rules.

[surfchick]

i had a double bed mattress and base fly off a terrano -the base into the mid-motorway lane and the mattress flew-flopped into the fastlane where I was. :gob: gave the breaks everything then threaded between the two. i never follow anything for long that has a load of any kind.

boxes were dropping out of a recycling truck the other day on the n-western...

[surfchick]

A few years back I was travelling back from PN in the night to Napier. It was a little foggy. Came up to a bridge and as I went over it there was a pile of broken planks on the road. Managed to evade it all. Turned around to pick it off the road so nobody else would hit it. That's when I noticed that it was from the railing of the bridge... There was a car on its side in the river lights still on. I stopped a car, asked them to ring police and ambulance, and ran down to the water and got in. Under the car a guy was pinned. A police car turned up and we managed to turn the car and get the guy out. But he was a goner. Turns out that the police was on the look for him as he had filled his car and left w/o paying at the nearby petrol station. And he had been far from sober...

OMG:( lucky you stopped...

[Kinje]

Once upon a time I was damn near brained by a brick. It had become lodged between the dual tyres on a truck and thrown out once up to motorway speed. Ever since I've been a bit watchful of dual tyres, tend to stay out of direct line behind.

This did happen to my old man. There was a stone flung from a dual tyre truck through the windscreen of his car and hit him in the face. He somehow managed to stop the car and had his face rebuilt. Must say I am also very concious of following dual tyre trucks.

[Conquiztador]

OMG:( lucky you stopped...

Well surfy, the thing was, as we got the guy out from under tha car and on to land I started giving him CPR, but the police and the ambulance crew, who had arrived by then, all told me to stop. Probably was far too late anyhow. My instincts just kicked in. But I got the impression that they knew him well and were happy that he was gone...

[BarryG]

Hey, Swoop, yes, in Florida, HOV lanes include bikes, not sure about other states - it's the one good thing about riding on the highway, I suppose.
We are not allowed to filter (or split lanes, as they say over here) in Florida, or many other states, to my knowledge, but that ability or approval would make commuting on a bike perfect.
It's asinine, really, they don't require you to wear a helmet in Florida, but don't allow you to split lanes. I reckon they should repeal the former law, and allow filtering, even if they restricted the speed at which you could do it.
However, will politicians ever see logic and reason?
To be honest, I'll filter in city traffic to get to the head of a line at a light - I'll worry about the legality of it when I get stopped. In the meantime, I think I'm doing my bit for the flow of traffic, and keeping myself away from the cages that are trying to hurt me :niceone:
Cheers
Barry

[Big Dave]

>>Debris riding behind trucks and trailers (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=1210756#post1210756)<<

You tell Debri to be careful.

[mazz1972]

Beware following trucks carrying veges.....cabbages tend to explode when they hit the road....coleslaw everywhere!

[Daffyd]

Pardon my ignorance, but WTF is a HOV lane?
Or more to the point, what does HOV stand for?

[jim.cox]

Pardon my ignorance, but WTF is a HOV lane?
Or more to the point, what does HOV stand for?

HOV = High Occupancy Vehicle

aka a bus

HOV lane = bus lane

sometimes also extended to include private cars with more than just the driver

[Daffyd]

Doh! Thanx for that.

[klingon]

HOV = High Occupancy Vehicle

aka a bus

HOV lane = bus lane

sometimes also extended to include private cars with more than just the driver

Auckland City has "bus lanes" which are actually shared bus, bike and motorbike lanes.

In some parts of North Shore City there are "HOV" lanes which are for vehicles with more than one occupant - ie buses and cars with passengers. Motorbikes are also allowed to use these lanes.

Obviously if the aim is to reduce congestion and/or emissions, motorbikes should be encouraged by allowing us to use HOV lanes. When I'm riding my bike it is 100% occupied - as a 6R licence holder I can't carry passengers. :)

[ManDownUnder]

yes - they're shocking. A manoevre worth practicing is to drop back a bit (out of the flotsum) and when the opportunity presents itself smoothly ride into the other lane overtaking the truck and pulling back in.

If you do it right you'll stay out of the dross the whole time.

[surfchick]

did i mention what it was like following behind MDU and his enormous top-box?:devil2: OMMMMMGGGGG

[duckonin]

Wife an I were towing a tralier behind tandem bike down south last november, south of Blenhiem going down a steep grade at 68k's almost at the bottom when a ute loaded with irrigation pipes went speeding through a compulsory stop, turned right heading toward us and lost the load it was not tied on, yep nearly bought that time, not a good idea to follow behind trucks vehicles of any config towing anything, over the last thirty years I have had a caravan and a horse float lift off the tow ball, both held on by the saftey chain but what if........I keep well away from both trucks and towing vehicles..

riding our bike the amount of steel cleats, bolts,well almost anything for that matter that leaves the back of vehicles is amazing the road is absolutley littered with debris...

Take care following anyone better to safley get in front of the buggars and stay there if poss....The police will not like your excuse if they catch you speeding trying to do this, but It is your life we are only trying to stay alive.

[Conquiztador]

Was trying to find info or statistics re bike accidents caused by falling debri from trucks, trailers and so on. But have not had any luck.

Found this that gives some info re why majority of bike accidents happen. And it is not the bikers fault!! (But we already knew that)

http://www.withyking.co.uk/services/personal-injury/Motorcycle_accidents_danger_of_diesel.cfm

Also found this one that has some more % of what acidents normally are caused by. Nothing specific re falling debri. But there is the "other" that has 2% next to it. So one would assume that the loose brick coming off the truck, the trailer wheel hitting you etc is covered here.

http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/rbotoole/entry/manifesto_safe_motorcycling/

[ynot slow]

Had more than our fair share of shit and crap from trucks,in Feb had stone chip in windscreen in car,new replacement,thenin our celica had stone flick up from truck new windscreen on Friday fitted,then same car and overloaded truck dropping debri along the road,couple of decent stones fall off the trailer and we're travelling towards the truck,they bounce all around and we think shit that was close as they miss the windscreen, only to have one hit the rear hatch screen,unbeleaveable,insurance lady pissed herself when told,mind you the cops were going to do the trucking co for insecure loads,apparently several had screens cracked at the time and all said it was the trucks fault. What was a worry was me thinking what if I was riding.